Roses for the King

Chapter 11 - One step forward

(No illustrations sorry! Though, I might add them later?)

A little quicksand became apparent in Roman's stomach as the little raven from the night prior came to his mind.

With cheese, it'd been a feast.

...

But now that hunger finally wrote its will and bid farewell from this world, Roman was thirsting for knowledge, as he flipped through the pages of the book, he jacked from the library. That large gate still haunted him.

"What kind of bushes are these?" a few hums escaped from his mouth "Dark, crooked, and... seem less dry. Maybe I... er, pruned at the wrong place or...? ...Uhuh! If they worked for the tendrils on the house...!"

Roman picked up his gloves along with the hedge shears and crouched to the level of the bush.

"Alright, now where exactly...?" he opened the book again "It doesn't have branches. So... just right here!" and sliced off the trunk around two inches above the ground. "Aye! An I-have-no-idea-how-many-millions to go!"

He wiped his forehead and his fingers went through his greasy hair. Prioritizing the willingness to do a good job over a reviving shower of rain for his hair was strange.

- ♡ -

The darkness of the second eleventh clock fell upon the Dark Land. All the townsmen populated their homes, the streets fell silent, except for the garden of the royal castle embraced by the fog.

Even though the Dark Lord's eyes always reflected the night sky, they still emerged from the darkness surrounding him as he looked outside the window with a view of the garden.

And they still could make out a moving figure in the distance.

And they still dilated a little when he recognized the figure (maybe partly they dilated because of the light of his lamp in his hand).

Little did he know that Roman just started to get the hang of it!

His filled stomach, the thought of seeing his father, Remus, his home, his beloved townspeople, and the throne of this land... th... that he'll... probably sit on surely kept his... spirits... up.

Ah, keep working!

Maybe, I could get used to being a gardener, thought Roman the gardener as he went to hit the hay in the storage house, restoring his energy for the next day.

- ♡ -

JANUARY 20th, Tuesday

The next day Roman felt the familiar texture of his cape underneath and he still didn't manage to catch a bit of light through the windows.

"This is exactly how I imagine the perfect day of gardening." he sighed as he went out, not believing his eyes: all the hard work he had been doing and planned on doing today was in vain?!

The little spec of a soul the sight had was no more and the bushes remained intact.

Roman sputtered pulling out his book again "B-but I followed everything you said! Where have I gone wrong?! You good for noth-!" and inhaled "Maybe I didn't sleep well and I see double. I mean, who wouldn't!"

Maybe it's not the best idea to put out your anger on something that will supposedly guide you through something you're clueless about. Or will it?

- ♡ -

JANUARY 23nd, Friday

The hellhole remained a hellhole.

Again. Again.